A good comeback?

[shesulsa]

You may want to ask your parents if they feel your martial arts training is making you a better person.

You may want to point out to them that martial arts is not just about kicking and punching, grappling and throwing, nunchakus and sticks; that you're also learning to use the MOST IMPORTANT TOOL IN SELF-DEFENSE AND LIFE DEVELOPMENT AS WELL - YOUR BRAIN!!!!!

And, since you'll be developing that also, you'll have some good ideas on how to assess the purpose of an attacker with a gun and learn skills you can use so that you have the best chance of survival in such a situation. (caveat - if you're not getting this and you want it, you may need supplementation)

You could do things like ask, "Hey, mom, why do you take vitamins if you're gonna die someday anyway," but that would show that the training you speak of might be lacking. Handling this situation in the most mature manner possible is your best bet - and sometimes that means keeping your mouth shut when you SO want to say something else.

Prepare yourself for this journey and these questions - this won't be the last time, nor the worst.

So - a good "comeback" could be: "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

 

[Empty Hands]

I get asked this type of question all the time... what if he has a gun? What if he has a knife? What if there are 2 of them? What if there are 6 of them?

This really does kill me. Why would anyone knock you for learning to defend themselves? Certainly, no one knocks those women's self-defense and rape-prevention classes - but rapists can buy guns too. I think at the bottom of it, most people are so frightened about physical attacks and confrontations that they won't even prepare for it since the preparation reminds them of their fear. As a MA'ist that does prepare, you remind them of their fear so they need to belittle what you do in order to forgot their fears.

Just IMO anyway. I do think it is telling that few would knock you for running or playing football, but getting your exercise this way is apparently so problematic.

 

[Empty Hands]

Besides, they don't have Kata to figure out how to diffend against guns.

Gun-kata, eh? That's tricky business. But what if they attack you with gymnastics? Good thing we have Gym-kata.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089243/

 

[CoryKS]

You have to use a life-saving kata. You know, in a kata de vita.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

I think at the bottom of it, most people are so frightened about physical attacks and confrontations that they won't even prepare for it since the preparation reminds them of their fear. As a MA'ist that does prepare, you remind them of their fear so they need to belittle what you do in order to forgot their fears.

I think you just nailed it precisely with that insight.

 

[JBrainard]

I think you just nailed it precisely with that insight.

I'll second that. My intense fear of confrontation is what kept me from training in martial arts until I was in my mid 20's.

 

[kidswarrior]

You have to use a life-saving kata. You know, in a kata de vita.

:lfao: This is probably lost on the youngsters. You were always the class clown, weren't you?

OK, now back to the topic.

 

[TheOriginalName]

I consider myself to be fortunate that i have never been in a "serious" physical alteration (school yard stuff doesn't count - they weren't going to kill me!!).

Only once did i come close to being assulted - and it was a two on one situation.

However my training (judo - and not very much) allowed me to overcome the fear and focus on the situation. I was able to keep my BMX bike between me and the assailants and eventually talk myself out of the situation.

So my answer is "i don't train to fight, i train to overcome fear".
If he has a gun and i freeze then i am a victim.
If he has a gun and i don't freeze i have options - and it may be to just give him my wallet and let him go, but i'm not dead (which is so much worse than loosing my credit cards).

Fear is the enemy. He may be armed. He may be a better fighter. But if he is fearful then i am in control. If i am fearful then i have already lost.

Just a few thought from someone who enjoys his insanity!!

 

[kidswarrior]

So my answer is "i don't train to fight, i train to overcome fear".
If he has a gun and i freeze then i am a victim.
If he has a gun and i don't freeze i have options - and it may be to just give him my wallet and let him go, but i'm not dead (which is so much worse than loosing my credit cards).

Fear is the enemy. He may be armed. He may be a better fighter. But if he is fearful then i am in control. If i am fearful then i have already lost.

Good points.

 

[CuongNhuka]

Gun-kata, eh? That's tricky business. But what if they attack you with gymnastics? Good thing we have Gym-kata.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089243/

I never said to USE a gun. I said to DEFEND against a gun. I got a wicked defense from one of my Cuong Nhu Katas (Juttae, it's a Shotokan Kata).

 

[Em MacIntosh]

How's he gonna fire a pistol after I've broken all his fingers. (or bitten them off)

 

[benj13bowlin]

I think I would rather train in MA and have even a slight chance, than to not train and have no chance.

If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first hour sharpening the ax. Abraham Lincoln

 

[Bumblebee]

A simple backhand will suffice...wait it's your mom. Don't do that. I got nothing new to add. Tell her that you can't do anything to prepare for someone pulling out a gun and shooting you, but you can do something about someone trying to attack you without a firearm. So you'd much rather prepare for something you can prepare for than worry about something you can't.

 

[whitetiger2001]

The world is full of "what ifs". I've had the same thing happen to me and it used to frustrate me but eventuially I realized, no matter what the situation, someone can what if it to death.